Nigeria conferred its second-highest national award, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making him the second foreign dignitary to receive the distinction after Queen Elizabeth, who was conferred the award in 1969. This marks the 17th international award conferred upon Modi by a foreign country.
PM Modi Receives Nigeria’s Second Highest Honour
Why In News
- Nigeria conferred its second-highest national award, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making him the second foreign dignitary to receive the distinction after Queen Elizabeth, who was conferred the award in 1969. This marks the 17th international award conferred upon Modi by a foreign country.
- “Honoured to be conferred with the ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger’ Award by Nigeria. I accept it with great humility and dedicate it to the people of India,” Modi said in his remarks after receiving the award, which was his 17th international honour.
All You Need To Know
- PM is in Nigeria on the first leg of his three-nation visit at the invitation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This visit is the first by an Indian PM to Nigeria in 17 years.
- Modi held talks with President Tinubu, and said that India accords high priority to its strategic partnership with Nigeria and it will work towards boosting ties in a range of areas, including defence, energy and trade.
- President Tinubu appreciated the development cooperation partnership offered by India and its meaningful impact in creating local capacities, skills, and professional expertise.
- The two leaders also discussed enhancing defence and security cooperation. They reaffirmed their commitment to jointly fighting terrorism, piracy and radicalisation, said an MEA statement.
- Referring to the African Union becoming a permanent member of the G20 at the India-hosted summit last year, Modi described it as a significant outcome.
- “Nigeria has had a huge and positive role in Africa. And, close cooperation with Africa has been a high priority for India,” the PM said in a post on X.
- Modi also described the around 60,000-strong Indian expatriate community as a key pillar of India-Nigeria relations and thanked Tinubu for ensuring their welfare.
- Before the delegation-level talks, Modi and Tinubu held a one-on-one meeting at the Presidential Villa. Following the talks, three MoUs — on Cultural Exchange Programme, Customs Cooperation and Survey Cooperation — were signed.
- The PM also announced that India is sending 20 tonnes of relief supplies for Nigerian people hit by floods last month.
- There are more than 200 Indian companies who have invested about $27 billion in all important manufacturing sectors and these companies are the second-largest employers after the federal government, according to Indian officials.
- India has emerged as a development partner of Nigeria on two fronts — by offering developmental assistance through concessional loans ($100 million) and by offering capacity-building training programmes.
- In the run-up to Modi’s Nigeria visit, NSA Ajit Doval hosted his Nigerian counterpart Nuhu Ribadu last month, for the Second Strategic and Counter-Terrorism Dialogue between the two countries.
- “The national security advisors held in-depth discussions within the framework of the strategic India-Nigeria partnership on threats and challenges emanating from terrorism, extremism, radicalisation, including through cyberspace, as well as from international crime, arms and drug smuggling,” said the MEA statement.
